Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle Photographs copyright � by Irma Hale Above: the Outer Gate & Barbican at Pembroke Castle King 1978; King & Cheshire 1982 he unsurpassed strength of this mighty Norman Castle , sited on a high ridge between two tidal inlets, gave it the distinction of never haven fallen to the Welsh. The strategic position, on a major routeway, was chosen early in the first Norman incursions into south-west Wales, when the castle was founded by Roger of Montgomery in 1093, and it stood firm against Welsh counter-attacks in subsequent years. Below: Northeast view showing Great Gatehouse (L), Northgate Tower, St. Ann's Bastion, Hall Block (R) Pembroke's strategic importance soon increased, as it was from here that the Normans embarked upon their Irish campaigns. In 1189 the castle came into the hands of William Marshal , who, over the next 30 years transformed the earth-and-timber castle into a mighty stone fortification.

First to be built was the inner ward with its magnificent round keep (shown right), deservedly famous for its early date, height of over 22m and remarkable domed roof. The original entrance was on the first floor, approached by an external stair, the present ground-floor entrance being a later insertion. The keep had four floors, connected by a spiral stair which also led to the battlements. The large square holes on the top of the outside were to hold a timber hoard, or fighting platform. When the castle was attacked, the hoard could be erected as an extra defence, outside the battlements but way above the heads of the attackers. Below: the Great Gatehouse viewed from the Outer Ward Enclosing the keep was the inner ward curtain wall, to the south-west stood the large horseshoe-shaped gate, which only survives at footings level, and to the east was a strong round tower with a basement prison. Only a thin wall was required along the cliff edge; it had a small observation turret at the point and the square stone platform on the north supported a huge medieval catapult for defence against attack from the sea. The domestic buildings on the west and east of the inner ward included William Marshal's hall and private apartments.

These were improved and further buildings added in the later 13th century, when the new Great Hall was built with a towering mass of walling projecting over its south-east corner to enclose the mouth of a large cavern in the rock below, which may have served as a boathouse. At the same period, a large single-storey building was added near the keep to serve as the county court. By this time, the castle had passed to the de Valence family; the Hastings family then held it from 1324 to 1389, after which the castle passed into the hands of the crown. Below: the Westgate Tower & Wall Walk (left) and the Wall Walk between Northgate Tower & St. Ann's Bastion, with Hall Block in the distance (right). Much of the building work in the outer ward may also belong to the early 13th-century work of William Marshal, and the main plan of the present defences remains as originally constructed. However, the apparently almost perfect preservation of this work is largely an illusion, as there was at the castle a systematic programme of restoration in the 19th and early 20th century.

Below: William Marshal's Great Tower (left) viewed from the wall walk. The fine series of round towers, the north-east bastion and the remarkable gatehouse on the south made the defences of the outer ward well-nigh impregnable. There were postern gates on either side, defended by the St Ann Bastion and Monkton Tower respectively, but the main gatehouse, with its two portcullises, stout doors, three machicolations, or murder holes, in the vaulting and its series of arrowslits, is one of the finest and earliest of its kind. The western Bygate Tower has a prison in its basement, then each gate tower has a ground and two upper floors reached by stairs spiralling in opposite directions. Doors lead from the upper rooms on to the wall walk. The gatehouse is in essence a double-towered gate, with one of the towers moved along the curtain wall to clear the oblique entrance approach; its outer part is further defended by a fine semicircular barbican. Below: interior ruins of the Old Norman Hall at Pembroke Castle. The castle was granted out by the crown with a series of short-lived tenancies, and fell into considerable disrepair.

In 1405 Francis Court was hastily given munitions to hold the castle against Owain Glyndwr's uprising . The castle later passed into the hands of Jasper Tewdwr, earl of Pembroke, and was apparently the birthplace of his nephew Henry, later King Henry VII. The room in the Henry VII tower, in which tradition states that the future king was born, is a most unlikely birthplace, and is to be hoped that his mother, the widowed Lady Margaret Beaufort, was given more consideration. Pembroke declared its support for Parliament at the beginning of the Civil War , but in 1648 the town's mayor, John Poyer, disgruntled at his lack of reward, joined a disaffected group of Roundheads unwilling to be demobilized. Cromwell himself came to besiege the castle which only fell after seven weeks when the water supply was cut off and a train of siege cannon arrived to start a bombardment. After this defiance, Cromwell blew up the barbican and the fronts of all the towers to prevent the castle ever again being used militarily. Below: the Wogan Cavern at Pembroke Castle.

The town of Pembroke still retains sections of its defences, which ran south from the Westgate Tower and east from the Northgate Tower. The northern line ran along what is now Millpond Walk. Little survives of the stretch nearer the castle, but further along are some well-preserved sections with crenellations still visible, but blocked by the raising of the walls, when the stair ramps were built along them to give access to the town houses within. A small circular tower on the north-east was originally attached by a now broken stretch of wall to Barnard's Tower, and impressive three-storeyed tower with a forebuilding over its entrance, defended by a bridge pit, portcullis and gate. The roof dome is intact, and the whole structure with its fireplace and lavatory is a strong, almost self-contained defensive unit; this was probably necessary as it was isolated on the north-eastern end of town, almost half a mile from the castle Below: Henry VII Tower (center) & Bygate Tower (right) as viewed from the Great Tower. The wall (inaccessible) continues south from Barnard's Tower to Eastgate which formerly stood over Main Street.

The only other surviving sections are a small fragment of a tower on Goose Lane and two small round towers on the south. They stand on a rebuilt piece of town wall, and one has a late summer-house built on top. The southern town walls ran alongside a flat marsh, probably tidal in the 13th century. A fragment of Westgate survives opposite the castle entrance. The town defences, rather thin in comparison with others, are very early and probably date to much the same time as William Marshal's late 12th-century or early 13th-century work on the castle. Jeff Thomas 1994 Mighty Pembroke Castle impresses by its sheer size and dominance of location. Pembroke is a Norman stronghold dating to the time of William the Conqueror, however most of the present castle dates from the 13th century. Historically, the castle is probably most closely associated with two strong Welsh Marcher Lords, Richard de Clare and William Marshal, the powerful earls of Pembroke. The earl's ruthless suppression of the Welsh population caused great hatred among the local people. Pembroke is also famous as the birthplace of Henry Tudor, later King Henry VII.

There are on-site exhibitions, including a video, tracing the history of the castle and its owners, as well as an exhibit dedicated to King Henry. We entered the castle through the mighty gatehouse tower and were immediately impressed by its size. Pembroke's high curtain wall is connected by a series of well-preserved towers. The castle's towers and walls are complete due to extensive restoration efforts. The central courtyard is a huge space of green grass and park benches, dominating the center of the castle. To illustrate just how big the courtyard is, consider that all of Harlech Castle could probably fit neatly into Pembroke's courtyard! Below: the Wall Walk between Henry VII Tower (near) and Westgate Tower (far). Climbing to the top of Pembroke's towers allows visitors to walk sections of the wall. Although the Henry Tower, named after King Henry VII, and Northern Hall are impressive, complete structures, it's William Marshal's massive Keep that dominates Pembroke Castle. The Keep was built by Marshal in 1200 and was the last place of refuge for soldiers defending the castle.

The walls are 19 feet thick at the base of the keep, and rise to 75 feet in height, crowned with a stone dome, set as a centerpiece in a triple crown of parapet and turret. The Keep is roughly twice the size of Conwy's impressive towers. Having seen over two dozen Welsh and English castles in the last two years, I can think of no one castle structure more impressive that William Marshal's great Keep at Pembroke. The view of the surrounding countryside from the top of the Keep highlights the tremendous defensive position enjoyed by the castle, which dominates the landscape from all approaches. Although it was the longest and most difficult climb of the vacation, the view from the top of the Keep more than justified the effort! Copyright � 2009 by Jeffrey L. Thomas BBC Blogs - Wales - Henry Tudor, the Welsh King of England Henry Tudor, the Welsh King of England Tuesday 26 April 2011, 10:17 At the mighty Pembroke Castle in west Wales on 28 January 1457, the only Welshman ever to become king of England was born.

Henry Tudor The man in question was Henry Tudor , who ruled for over 20 years as Henry VII and, perhaps more importantly for the history of this country, founded the Tudor dynasty which effectively created modern Britain. He came to the throne at a troubled and chaotic time but in his 23 years at the helm he brought peace and stability to a realm that, for 30 years, had known only bloodshed and mayhem. Henry's grandfather came from Ynys Mon - Anglesey, as the English knew it - and had served with honour and bravery in the French wars with Henry V . He fought at the Battle of Agincourt alongside the young king and was well respected by the royal family. Indeed, legend declares that he secretly married Henry's widow Catherine some time after the king's untimely death. His son, Edmund, was later declared legitimate and made Earl of Richmond in 1452. The years after the death of Henry V saw the eruption of the Wars of the Roses , the great baronial houses of York and Lancaster fighting for control of the country and the throne. The trouble lay in the person of the new king, Henry VI.

He was, initially, under age but when he did take over the trappings of kingship he was soon revealed as a weak and unstable leader who might well have had problems with his mental health. With both York and Lancaster vying for control of the king - and therefore the right to rule or run the country - this was a period of confusion and terrible destruction. Battle followed battle, execution followed execution, with first one side, then the other, achieving superiority. Henry Tudor's father, a Lancastrian, was heavily involved in the campaigns and the fighting. He was eventually captured by Yorkist forces and died at Carmarthen some three or four months before his son was born. Edmund's brother, Jasper, Earl of Pembroke, then became protector of Edmund's widow, the 13-year-old Margaret Beaufort. She was ensconced in Pembroke Castle, the strongest and most prestigious castle in the country, and there she gave birth to Henry. When the Yorkist Edward IV came to the throne in 1461 Jasper Tudor was forced to flee, taking sanctuary on the continent. William Herbert was given control of Pembroke Castle and the young Henry lived in his household until 1469.

When, thanks to the wiles of Warwick the Kingmaker, Edward was briefly deposed and Henry VI returned to the throne, Jasper also came back, bringing the young Henry to court with him. It was a brief sojourn as Edward was soon back in control and Jasper - and Henry - were forced to flee once more. Henry spent the next 14 years in exile in Brittany, albeit as the last and most significant opponent of the Yorkist cause. He made one attempt to invade but this failed dismally. And so, in 1485, it was with a degree of trepidation that Henry decided on a final throw of the dice. Backed by a small force of French soldiers he landed at Mill Bay in Milford Haven and called all of Wales to rally to his banner. By now Edward had died and his brother Richard had seized the English throne. He was not unduly popular in Wales and so many noblemen and foot soldiers did quickly join Henry's growing force, notably the king's main officer in this part of Wales, Sir Rhys ap Thomas. Legend and fact do blur somewhat at this time.

There is a wonderful story of Sir Rhys - who had sworn to the king that Henry would land only "over my body" - lying under a bridge so that Henry could march his army over his prostrate form and thereby keep his word. A great story - but probably only that, a story! Henry Tudor duly defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field and established his dynasty. During the build up to the battle he had unashamedly played on his Welsh origins, making great capital out of the old Welsh story of Y Mab Darogan - the son of prophesy - who, people believed, would lead the Welsh out of oppression. He, Henry claimed, was that man. Yet once he became king Henry neatly turned his back on Wales, leaving the control and governance of the country to men like Sir Rhys ap Thomas. Again, it is only a story but many believe that Henry's old nurse at Pembroke Castle, the wife of Philip ap Howell of Carmarthen, actually taught him to speak Welsh. He certainly remained fond of her and when he became king one of his first acts was to award her a pension. It was something of a shame that he did not think so highly of the country of his birth.

Yet Henry's main concern was to bring stability and peace to all of Britain so it is perhaps understandable that Wales, safe in the capable hands of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, should be left alone. Over the next 20 or so years Henry VII destroyed the power of the barons, outlawed private retainer armies and made the country wealthy once more. Henry's claim to the throne may have been weak - it was, ultimately, little more than the power of the sword. But this previously rather obscure nobleman, whose roots lie in an island off the north coast of the country, remains one of the most influential Welshmen in British history. Read more about the Tudors on the BBC Wales History website. Tagged with: BBC - Wales - History - Themes - Pembroke castle Pembroke castle Pembroke Castle Last updated: 24 November 2010 Pembroke Castle most likely sits on early fortifications ( Roman habitation is known in the area), which is no suprise given its strategic location. Either side of the ridge on which it sits run two tidal inlets, and it can control sea traffic in and out of the natural harbour.

For the Norman conquerors in the 11th and 12th centuries, this would prove to be an important strategic consideration. The castle as a Norman fort was established in 1093, 27 years after the Battle of Hastings, by Roger of Montgomery, one of William I's most trusted allies. Of course, originally it was erected swiftly using earth and timber, but it was unusual in remaining in this form - and unbreached - for almost 100 years. It was in 1189 that a famed knight, William Marshall, was married to Isabel de Clare, daughter of Richard de Clare ('Strongbow'), second Earl of Pembroke. Marshall became the third earl, and set about fortifying the castle. Marshall created a huge stone castle in a classic Norman concentric design. One of the best-known features of the castle is the colossal circular keep with domed roof - still scalable these days via the spiral staircase. After the death of Marshall, five of his sons were Earls of Pembroke, each of them dying childless. The Earldom passed to William Marshall's granddaughter Joan de Munchensy's husband, William de Valance.

The castle and its earldom passed between various families and the crown through the 14th century, surviving the ravages of the Owain Glyndŵr revolt. In 1457, under Jasper Tudor, earl of Pembroke, his nephew the future King Henry VII was born within the walls. Pembroke Castle saw military action once more in the Civil War when Oliver Cromwell personally oversaw its siege and partial destruction. Bookmark this page: Henry VII - The Early Years - History Learning Site Home » Tudor England » Henry VII – The Early Years Henry VII – The Early Years Citation: C N Trueman "Henry VII – The Early Years" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 16 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. Henry VII was born in Pembroke Castle, Wales, on January 28th, 1457. Henry was the only child of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort.

Edmund died three months before Henry was born (fighting the Duke of York who was trying to win control of West Wales) and his mother Margaret was only fourteen when she gave birth to the future king. Henry took his father’s title when he was born – Henry of Richmond – and he spent the bulk of his early years at Pembroke Castle. However, in 1461, the castle was seized by Lord Herbert following the defeat of Henry VI. The new king was Edward IV and because of Henry’s age, the king became his feudal lord. In 1462, Edward sold the guardianship of Henry to Lord Herbert for £1000. The Duke of Gloucester, the king’s brother, was given the overlordship of the Richmond lands. During this time of his life, Henry saw little of his mother. In 1464, Margaret remarried. Henry stayed at Pembroke Castle and was brought up in the Herbert’s household. His circumstances changed in 1469 when Lambert was executed to be followed a year later by Henry VI retaking the throne. In 1471 both Henry VI and his only son, Prince Edward, died.

Suddenly aged just fourteen, Henry became the main Lancastrian claimant to the throne. This put him in a very vulnerable position and Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, recognised this and had him sent to France for his own safety. Henry spent fourteen years in exile. His host was Francis II, Duke of Brittany. Edward IV referred to Henry as “the imp” and “the only one left of Henry VI’s brood”. Edward offered a substantial reward for the capture of Henry but Francis stood by his guest. To ensure that Edward’s wrath was kept in check, Francis also said that he would guard Henry and Jasper Tudor (also in Normandy) so that they could not escape and return to England. Francis sent back their English servants and replaced them with Breton servants. Francis was playing a dangerous game. Brittany was an independent French duchy then and if England and France joined forces against him, his duchy would not have had a chance of surviving. By 1475, France, led by Louis XI, and England had developed better relations and Edward tried to persuade Francis that he was hoping Henry might marry one of his daughters.

Henry became convinced that if he was handed over to the English his life would be in serious danger. However, the whole scenario was putting Francis in danger. It was resolved when Henry, on a journey to be handed over to the English, developed a fever which halted any movement. During this time Henry was taken into ‘sanctuary’ along with Jasper. Edward made no further effort to get Henry sent to England. In 1483, Edward IV suddenly died. He was succeeded by his brother, Richard, Due of Gloucester who proclaimed himself king. Edward’s two sons, the Princes in the Tower, were effectively denied the right to succeed their father. The political climate in England became very unsettled. Richard had his supporters but he also had his enemies who now saw Henry as the rightful king of England. Edward IV’s widow, Elizabeth Woodville, was drawn into this. She wanted Henry to marry her surviving daughter, also Elizabeth, which should, in theory, have gained Henry the support of Lancastrians and Yorkists. Henry set out to land a force in England- but he lack one vital piece of information. He did not know how much actual support he had.

Therefore on Christmas day 1483, Henry made a public declaration at Rennes Cathedral that if he won the throne from Richard III, he would marry Elizabeth of York and make her his queen. In this way he would unite both houses that had been at war for decades To take control of the situation, Richard put great pressure on Brittany to hand over Henry. Francis was old and ill and his advisors felt sufficiently vulnerable that they went along with Richard’s wish. An English refugee, John Morton, Bishop of Ely, warned Henry of what was happening and Henry escaped to France disguised as a servant. Henry went to live in Paris. He gathered around him a court of English discontents who were becoming more and more concerned about the actions of Richard III. It was these men who would serve Henry after he became king. Henry was made aware that Richard had devised a plan to scupper his move to unite the feuding Lancastrian and York families. He would marry Elizabeth of York. Such a move would at the least weaken Henry’s position but it also meant that for Henry time was of the essence.

Those who had gone to Paris – Bishop Moreton, the Earl of Oxford and Richard Fox – all told Henry that he could rely on the support of the English people. More significant, the Earl of Oxford had the necessary military expertise to make such a venture a success. On August 7th, 1485, Henry and his army landed at Milford Haven in Wales. The Birth of Henry Tudor | History Today The Birth of Henry Tudor The man who founded the Tudor dynasty was born on January 28th, 1457. Henry Tudor The future Henry VII was born with a claim to the English crown which was extremely slight and intriguingly complicated. He was to spend his youth in the nightmare politics of the Wars of the Roses but he was a survivor. So was his mother, the thirteen-year-old Lady Margaret Beaufort, great-granddaughter on the wrong side of the blanket of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, by Katherine Swynford. That the Beauforts were subsequently legitimized still left a question mark over their political position, but Lady Margaret was a rich enough heiress to make possession of her a profitable investment.

Small, slight, shrewd and determined, Margaret was twelve when she was married to Edmund Tudor, son (ostensibly at least) of Owen Tudor, which brought a link with the French royal house into the equation. The Tudors were Anglesey landowners and Owen Tudor became a courtier of Henry V and met Henry Vs young wife, Catherine of Valois, the daughter of Charles VI of France. There were stories that he caught the Queen's eye when she saw him swimming, or that he tripped and fell into her lap when dancing. When Henry V died in 1422, Queen Catherine was left a widow at twenty and, according to one chronicler, 'was unable fully to curb her carnal passions'. She apparently had a love affair with Edmund Beaufort, future duke of Somerset, but it was Owen Tudor she married, on the quiet, the first widowed queen of England to remarry for 300 years. Her sons Edmund and Jasper Tudor stood high in the favour of their half-brother Henry VI, who created them earls of Richmond and Pembroke.

Gossip made Edmund Tudor the son of Queen Catherine's affair with Edmund Beaufort, who was Lady Margaret's uncle. If so, Henry VII was not Welsh, and a Beaufort on both sides, but the gossip did not prevent Margaret Beaufort being married off to Edmund Tudor in 1455. Getting her with child despite her youth secured him a life interest in her substantial inherited estates, but he died the following year, when she was six months pregnant. Perhaps damaged by giving birth so young, she would have no more children. Meanwhile she went for protection to Jasper Tudor and it was in his stronghold of Pembroke Castle that she gave birth to the baby Henry. The following year she married Henry Stafford, a son of the Duke of Buckingham, to gain his protection and avoid having another husband forced on her. In 1462, when the young Henry Tudor was five years old, he was taken away from her and his wardship was given to William, Lord Herbert. Young Henry had never known a father and had now been parted from his mother as well. The Herberts seem to have treated him kindly and he was given a gentleman's education, but Lord Herbert was executed in 1469.

Henry stayed on with Lady Herbert and in 1470, when he was thirteen, he had an audience with Henry VI. Later Tudor propaganda had it that the pious, half-mad king prophesied that the boy would one day rule England. Meanwhile, Henry returned to his Uncle Jasper and they were soon standing siege by a Yorkist army in Pembroke Castle. They managed to get away by ship to Brittany in 1471 and Duke François gave them shelter and protected Henry from England's Yorkist king, Edward IV, who wanted him in his own hands. Louis XI of France also tried to get Henry into his clutches. It was a desperately insecure situation and it is little wonder that the young Tudor came to manhood cautious, prudent and deeply reserved. Eventually, the death of Edward IV in 1483, the succession of Richard III, the disappearance of the princes in the Tower and the deaths of other Lancastrian claimants left Henry Tudor, however improbably, as a credible claimant to England's throne. He was encouraged by his mother, who was plotting against Richard III.

Henry led an invasion from Brittany in 1485, defeated Richard III at Bosworth and became king of England at the age of twenty-eight. His mother, who burst into floods of tears at his coronation, died a few weeks after him, in 1509. Related articles Henry VII: Forgotten Welsh king? - BBC News BBC News Media playback is unsupported on your device Henry VII: Forgotten Welsh king? 14 February 2013 Last updated at 07:20 GMT Confirmation that bones found under a Leicester car park are those of Richard III made headlines around the world. But campaigners say his successor as king, Henry VII, remains virtually unknown in Wales. That is despite Henry Tudor being born at Pembroke Castle, and living in Wales until he was a teenager. Now, as Sarah Moore reports, there are calls for some of his present-day supporters to do more to attract Tudor enthusiasts to Wales.

Welsh-born King Henry VII's £20m bed 'found dumped in hotel car park' - Wales Online Welsh-born King Henry VII's £20m bed 'found dumped in hotel car park' Historians believe they have found the marriage bed of Welsh King Henry VII Share This bed found in a car park could have belonged to Henry VII and be worth £20m Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email It was discarded in a hotel car park and later sold on for just £2,200. But now historians believe an ornate four-poster bed dumped in the carpark of Redland House Hotel, in Chester, belonged to Welsh-born King Henry VII with reports suggesting it is worth a cool £20m. Builders dismantled the oak bed and left it to be picked up by auctioneers while working on a renovation project at the venue. 'Astonished' Four poster bed specialist Ian Coulson, from Northumberland, spotted the item listed as 19th-century Gothic revival while searching lots on a website in 2010.

43 pictures that prove Welsh castles are the coolest thing history ever did He placed a winning telephone bid for £2,200. But when Mr Coulson unpacked it, he was astonished. He approached TV historian Dr Jonathan Foyle , believing it was the only surviving Tudor bed. TV historian Dr Jonathan Foyle who believes he has found the bed belonging to Welsh King Henry VII Mr Foyle says DNA testing shows the bed belonged to Pembroke-born Henry VII, who defeated Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth. He wrote that the bed was “immensely culturally valuable”. Kept in Westminster Palace The £20m bed discovered in a Chester car park thought to have belonged to Welsh King Henry VII The historian, the former chief executive of heritage charity the World Monuments Fund Britain, said the bed would have been situated in the Painted Chamber in Westminster Palace, where royal state beds were set until 1512. He wrote: “It is specifically the marriage bed for Henry and Elizabeth (of York) from 1486, taken to Lancashire in 1495.

Related: 13 weird and wonderful things you never knew about Carmarthenshire Mr Coulson had a dendrochronology or tree ring survey completed on the bed to date it. This suggested the wood was American white oak growing after 1756 - casting doubt on links to Henry VII. But Mr Foyle said the survey “made no sense” and DNA results now show it’s made from native European oak growing between the Pyrenees and Latvia, from where Edward III imported wood for beds. 'Extremely significant' King Henry VII Oxford University historian Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch , who specialises in the period, said he is “quite convinced” of the bed’s authenticity. “It looks as if we’ve got the frame of a bed we can associate with King Henry VII. “It’s extremely significant and there’s nothing else quite like it with that sort of association.” The bed, currently on display at Anne Boleyn’s childhood home of Hever Castle & Gardens , was most likely commissioned immediately after Henry VII’s accession to celebrate his marriage to Elizabeth and the end of the War of the Roses.

The headboard depicts Adam and Eve in likenesses of the King and Queen, surrounded by the fruits of paradise which would symbolise fertility and the couple’s hope for an heir, giving rise to its name, The Paradise State Bed. No Tudor state beds survive for comparison. It is believed Henry VII may have taken the bed north while on a royal tour. Chester link a mystery How it came to be languishing in the attic of the Redland House Hotel, a former 19th-century industrialist’s house, is unknown. Manchester Metropoltian University historian Dr Jonathan Spangler, an expert on the Monarchy, said even if it is a late 15th century bed the likelihood of knowing 100% that it was Henry’s is “small”.

He added: “But I would say that kind of bed in the late 15th century would be owned by royalty or at least the very, very top of the aristocracy.” Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent Henry Tudor, a Proud Welshman | Nathen Amin Henry Tudor, a Proud Welshman Posted on March 1, 2013 by nathenamin To the average member of the public, no Royal Dynasty has come to represent England and Englishness as the Tudors, a multi-generational 16th Century force that dragged England out of the bleak and dreary middle ages and into the renaissance period that enabled the Kingdom to become a superpower on the global scene. England became a mighty nation during the reign of sequential Tudors, rapidly growing in a self-assurance and assertiveness that would later blossom into the dominant British Empire under their successors. It was under this Dynasty that England broke with Rome, that the English vanquished their aggressive Spanish foe through the defeat of the infamous Armada and that the world was given the immortal playwright William Shakespeare.

Arguably the most overlooked Tudor monarch is the very man who began the dynasty, Henry Tudor, that great opportunist who is arguably one of the country’s greatest overachievers. Born fatherless and then nobly imprisoned until he was forced into exile as a teenager, this wise, calculating and intelligent man was transformed from a penniless rebel into a flourishing sovereign during dramatic morning in August 1485. Often overlooked by many is that Henry Tudor, the King of England and father of the majestic Tudors, was a Welshman, born and bred in the land of his fathers. Yet how has this great and incredibly successful monarch been overlooked by a Welsh nation which prides itself on its history and is quick to acclaim their sons. The argument goes that as a Welshman who became a King of England, Henry turned his back on his fellow compatriots and is the source of all future acts of oppression emanating from the English side of Offa’s Dyke. He was a Welshman who should have freed Wales after two centuries of English occupation, a fellow Cymro who nonetheless hated Wales and was ashamed of his background.

These modern Welsh Nationalists, an ideology which I do subscribe too it must be said, are keen to point out that Henry’s son King Henry VIII, that mighty tyrant of that turbulent era, introduced the Acts of Wales which annexed Wales into her superior neighbour, a situation that remains a bone of contention some 500 years later. Yes, the argument goes that Henry Tudor, as broadcaster Huw Edwards pointed out in the BBC’s Story of Wales production, was just another English king. We Welsh have a word for a Welshman whom moves to England, speaks English and denies his Welshness and that is a Dic Sion Dafydd, a term of similar sentiments to the derivative usage of Uncle Tom in parts of the United States. This consideration of Harri Tudur to be an enemy of Wales, or at least some with a degree of antipathy towards his homeland, seems to be a modern comprehension, developed over the last century. Contemporary Welshmen certainly viewed the Tudors as a friendly force, the existence of praise poetry alone suggesting there was an audience for praising the family.

The poet Sion Tudur proudly proclaimed to Henry’s granddaughter, the glorious Elizabeth I; “Harri lan, hir lawenydd, Yn un a’n rhoes ninnau’n rhydd, I Gymru da fu hyd fedd, Goroni gwr o wynedd” “Fair Harry, our long lasting joy, The one who set us free, Good was it for Wales all his life, That the man of Gwynedd was crowned” Elsewhere other poets of the period extolled the ascension of Henry Tudor, including Huw Machno during the late Elizabethan period when he wrote; “O bu I Gymru I gyd, Drwy anap, flinder ennyd, A’I rhoi yn gaeth, waethwaeth oedd, A’I thai araul a’I thiroedd, Yn rhwydd o hyn I’n rhyddhau, Yn frenin iownfawr rannau, “If it befell that all Wales through mishap, A long weariness, was put in chains, Worse and worse it became for her fair homes and lands, Swiftly from this to free us, as a king of great

 and good parts, Jesus gave us Henry VII as our protector” Henry also received such praise of his Welsh heritage to his face, such as at Worcester in 1486 when he was greeted with a poem proudly extolling his bloodline and the belief that he was fulfilling the ancient Welsh prophecies of taking the crown back from the English; “Cadwaladers Blodde lynyally descending, Longe hath bee towlde of such a Prince comyng, Wherfor Frendes, if that I shal not lye, This same is the Fulfiller of the Profecye” This idea that the rise of the Welsh Tudors was beneficial to the Welsh people continued after the dynasty was replaced by the Stuarts, although it should be noted that they were direct descendants of Henry Tudor through his daughter Margaret.

The poet Edward Morris continued the theme of Henry having saved the Welsh people from the aggressive Norman yoke by declaring; “Nes cael brenin, gwreiddin gras, Arch deryn ar ucha’i deyrnas, O Frutanwaed, fryd doniau, Dan ei rwysg i dynnu’r iau” “Until we had a king, rooted in grace, Chief ruler of all his kingdom, A man of British blood, of splendid gifts, Under his power to free us from the yoke” In 1507 at the stately Carew Castle in West Wales a lavish celebration was hosted by the great South Welsh warrior Sir Rhys ap Thomas, the loyal soldier whom greatly assisted Henry during the Bosworth campaign and later battles. More than two decades of Tudor rule had passed by the time Sir Rhys held his celebration of his master, the climax of which was the embrace between two figures dressed up as St David and St George, symbolising the hitherto absent unity now felt between the Welsh and English. It was a unity that had only been able to grow under Henry Tudor.

The idea that Henry had betrayed the Welsh people by becoming King of England and not empowering the Welsh people as an independent nation can therefore be rejected as absurdity. It was even recorded by a Venetian emissary shortly after Henry had become King that “the Welsh may be said to have recovered their former independence, for the most wise and fortunate Henry VII is a Welshman”. This loyalty that he possessed amongst his countrymen can certainly be considered a possibility the Reformation under his son was taken with little protest amongst the devoutly Catholic Welshmen of 1530’s Wales. Elsewhere in England rebellions and uprisings were a regular feature of the Tudor reign, including major revolts in Cornwall and Yorkshire. Wales never rose up in arms against the Tudors, who they considered to be one and the same with their best interests at heart. It is the Acts of Wales that draws the greatest ire from modern Welshmen with regards to the Tudors and can be considered the key reason that Henry Tudor is often overlooked as a Welsh hero, regardless of the fact the he had died almost thirty years before their enacting.

On a personal note I do agree that it is these acts which today strongly deny Wales the opportunity to seek self-rule, however during the 16th Century it is undeniable that these improved the quality of life for the average Welshman by raising them from inferior subjects to those on an equal footing with their English counterparts. Whilst it is simple to condemn the Acts today for demanding that usage of the Welsh language must be outlawed if a Welshman wished to serve public office, one must consider that the prospect of even serving in public office or getting any degree of equality with the English was vehemently denied to the Welshmen pre-Bosworth. One must only consider the various courtiers of Welsh descent who begun to prosper in English circles during the latter reign of Henry VIII and then through Elizabeth’s sovereignty, none more so than Thomas Cromwell and William Cecil. Anyone that studies Henry Tudor in any depth however will quickly begin to realise that this accusation of anti-Welshness, or embarrassment of his Cymric roots, has no real academic or historical basis other than an assumption based on Wales having never achieved self-sovereignty during the rule of him or his descendants.

Anecdotal evidence of Henry, always taken with a pinch of salt it must be conceded, would indicate that the first Tudor monarch was certainly proud of his roots and broadcast this to his English Kingdom in a way no prominent Welshman had been able to during the medieval period. Let’s consider the evidence that suggests King Henry VII, the first Welsh King of England, was proud of both his roots and by extension his homeland. After winning the Battle of Bosworth and ascending to the throne as King Henry VII, one of the most pressing concerns for the former Harri Tudur was to be crowned King at Westminster Abbey, an act in itself that would solidify and confirm his kingship. The ceremony was conducted on the 30th October, 1485 and Henry was solemnly declared “by the grace of god, King of England and of France, Prince of Wales and Lord of Ireland”. This was significant for Henry was the first reigning monarch of England before and since to assert his own right to the title Prince of Wales as opposed to it solely being kept in reserve for the heir.

Henry certainly felt this was his right as a Welshman himself, especially when he considered his own descent from such great Welsh Princes as Hywel Dda, Rhodri Mawr, The Lord Rhys and Cadwaladr. Although he would not keep the title for himself, preferring to bestow it upon his eldest son once he had been born an heir, the very act of including the reference to Wales during his coronation is a reminder of his innate sense of Welshness and desire to be seen as a son of Wales. The Welsh of today may consider Owain Glyndwr to be the last native Prince of Wales, but in fact it was Owain’s kinsman Henry Tudor who has the rightful claim to this title. During the fifteenth century, the propensity for noble names tended to be limited to such names as Richard, Edward, Henry and Thomas. It would certainly have been with a degree of surprise to the English therefore when Henry named his eldest son and heir Arthur, a name steeped in Welsh mythology and folklore. Henry claimed to be descended from the great Briton hero Arthur and as such he commanded his son, and the hope of the dynasty, would bear the same name as this illustrious and venerated ancestor.

It was a decision that would have been greeted warmly within Wales, where Arthur has always remained loved. Although Henry had initially used the Prince of Wales title for himself, as per tradition once his eldest son had reached a suitable age, he bestowed the title of Prince of Wales upon him to underline his position as heir to the crown. Thus Arthur Tudor became Prince of Wales and the promise of another King Arthur became reality for the countrymen of Wales who still fostered hopes that the ancient King of the Britons would one day return to lead them. As we all know, the prospect of a King Arthur was never realised with the early death of the Prince at the age of 15. Perhaps the greatest visual indicator of Henry’s pride in his Welsh roots can be found in his personal Coat of Arms which he adopted after his ascension. Coat of Arms were vitally important during the medieval period and help to distinguish and identify the wearer during both peacetime and war. The Royal Coat of Arms in particular were an important status symbol and certainly acted as a form of propaganda in fostering support for the bearer.

Although entitled and expected to maintain the basic quartered arms of the Kingdom of England and France, Henry was able to replace his predecessors’ White Boar supporters for those of his own and his choices are telling. For the right supporter he chose a Greyhound, the symbol of his maternal Beaufort family through which he had claimed his right to the English crown. For the left however he selected the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr, a symbol that had become recognisable as that of the Welsh nation due to its connection to the great 7th Century Welsh King Cadwaladr, from which Henry claimed descent. Henry had utilised this Red Dragon during his Bosworth campaign, his battle standard containing the dragon which undoubtedly aided in his recruiting of Welsh troops during his march through his homeland. After the victory the pious and devout Henry visited St Paul’s Cathedral where he gently placed his Dragon banner on the altar. As with the Tudor unity rose, Henry proceeded to ensure his Coat of Arms were placed in as many ubiquitous spots as possible, the conspicuousness of the Dragon a reference to the new power of this previously unheralded Welshman.

King’s College in Cambridge is a textbook example of the lengths the Tudors went to in broadcasting their sovereignty via the Coat of Arms, the dragon featured prominently throughout the structure. Furthermore, not only did Henry ensure the dragon was emblazoned on his horses during his coronation, he also created a new pursuivant officer of arms during these celebrations which he specifically named Rougedragon, or Red Dragon. The Dragon was known to be a symbol of Wales, and under Henry Tudor, it featured in every conceivable place throughout the kingdom as his own personal emblem and officially as his Royal Coat of Arms. Wales and Henry Tudor had become synonymous. St George has been considered the patron Saint of England since the early 13th Century and his importance to the English royal family was furthered under Edward III during the 14th Century. That being said, it was under Henry Tudor that St David, the patron Saint of Wales, begun to make headway in English royal circles. Henry had many Welshmen in his employ in the aftermath of Bosworth and he acknowledged their nationality by regularly funding their St David’s Day festivities.

For a King who has earned a reputation for his apparent spendthrift attitude this would indicate a sincere desire to pay tribute to the Saint who hailed from the same county as the King did. Household records show payments made for St David’s Day to Henry’s Welsh guardsmen out of his own privy purse whilst other payments are made by both Henry and his son for leeks. Although St George was the most important saint for an English King for official means and the Breton St Armel was Henry’s favoured personal religious figure, it is clear that St David was important to the King and should be commemorated with respect in his court. When Henry became King, scores of Welshmen flocked to London seeking patronage to make their fortunes and they would not be disappointed by their Welsh King. He employed a Welshman, Lewis Caerleon, as his personal physician whilst a man named David Owen was his carver. His personal bodyguard, the Yeoman of the Guard, included many Welshmen who and it is believed that one in four present at his funeral in 1509 were Welsh.

He certainly encouraged his compatriots to make a new living in London and one, Edward Apryse, was given a beerhouse in Fleet Street which he named ‘The Welshman’. Lots of lesser men were given grants and offices on an unprecedented scale including Sheriffs, Constables, Coroners, Bailiffs etc. His uncle Jasper Tudor was made Duke of Bedford and Justicar of South Wales; Rhys ap Thomas was made chamberlain of South Wales and William Gruffudd Chamberlain of North Wales. John Morgan and Edward Vaughan became Bishops of St David’s and Dafydd ab Ieuan and Dafydd ap Owain became Bishop’s of St Asaph, roles which had previously been excluded from Welshmen. He also allowed Welshmen to become Justices of the Peace for the first time. Eager to refute the lingering accusations from Yorkists that his paternal bloodline included Bastard Welsh servants, Henry commissioned the Canon of Hereford to specifically look into his Welsh pedigree and to confirm his descent from the most prestigious of native British Princes.

Henry was certainly proud of his descent from the Welsh royals and his interest in his genealogy underlines this, particularly as it was the side of his family to which he didn’t owe his claim to the throne. Henry ordered the Canon and Welshman Dr Owen Poole to investigate this bloodline and he spent time traversing Wales before offering his findings to an expectant King. Henry Tudor’s ancestors, the Tudur’s of Penmynydd, had been actively involved in the Welsh uprising of their cousin Owain Glyndwr during the early 15th century and after that revolt was crushed, the surviving Welsh people were punished with strict and oppressive Penal Laws. A key policy of these repressive laws was the statute that it was illegal for Welshmen to buy land in England or in English-administered boroughs within Wales, putting them at a major disadvantage in comparison to their English equivalents who had the opportunity to increase their wealth and status. Henry began to reverse these laws, partly for economic reasons but also surely as a method of thanksgiving to the people who had played a major role in him attaining the throne.

Henry introduced charters of privilege to the Lordship of Bromfield and Yale in 1505, Chirk and Denbigh in 1506, Ceri and Cydewain in 1507 and Ruthin in 1508. This allowed those Welshmen in this area the right to buy and hold land in England and the English boroughs of Wales, freed from expensive and burdensome financial payments implemented in earlier post conquest laws. They were also allowed to inherit land in the process of primogeniture which finally allowed the Welsh to build up power bases. This also encouraged trade between England and Wales and put them on equal footing. Wales was also included in provisions and improvements made to English law as well. Such an exposure to the English way of life would have been greatly welcomed by the Welsh of the region, whom had long been punished and excluded due to their nationality, a form of medieval apartheid. George Owen of Henllys was an Elizabethan antiquarian who was noted for his work on the history and geology of his native Pembrokeshire.

It is from him that a story persists regarding Henry Tudor on his death bed whereupon he is said to have stated to his teenage son and successor Prince Henry to take special care of the people of Wales. It was a special charge that father was issuing to son, something that the Welsh considered to be realised almost thirty years later by the Acts of Wales. Although it is unlikely this happened, although not necessarily impossible, the fact that such stories were able to be seriously entertained by the Welshmen of the Tudor period once more underlines the feeling of compatriotship many felt with Henry VII and a sincere belief in his love for Wales. Henry Tudor employed a Frenchman, Bernard Andre, as tutor for his son Arthur and commissioned this scholar to become his official court historian. Andre discussed the King’s genealogy and it is striking to see that particular emphasis is once more concentrated on the Welsh, or British, origin of his master as opposed to the maternal descent for which he owed his claim to the throne. The concentration on Henry’s Welsh descent had to have been authorised by the King himself and it once more underlines Henry’s pride in his bloodline, a pride that allowed him to consent to its examination in detail in such a high profile manner by Andre.

Henry’s pride and depth of feeling for Wales can also be understood from letters in his own hand whilst he was preparing his invasion from France in the run up to the Battle of Bosworth. Henry had specifically chosen to land his forces in West Wales, an area he knew from his childhood and an area he reasonably expected to gain support in. Shrewdly writing ahead of his landing to various Welshmen to procure their support, in one particular letter to the North Welshman John ap Meredith, a kinsman of his, Henry referred to their homeland as “our Principality of Wales” and pledging to free his countrymen from oppression. Henry also stated he would save the Welsh, “delivering them of such miserable servitude as they have piteously long stood in”. Henry had been born and bred a Welshman; he lived in Pembroke and then Raglan from his birth until his enforced exile at 14 years old in 1471. Whilst it has never been acknowledged beyond doubt that he was a Welsh speaker, he certainly maintained a love and respect of Welsh culture. Apart from his respect of St David’s Day, Henry had a love of poetry and prophecy in addition to a keen interest in Welsh music.

It was stated that after the death of his wife Elizabeth in 1503 only the soothing sounds of Welsh harpists could calm him. He had also personally paid for the burial of a harpist in 1501 and was known to reward those Welsh musicians who pleased him with their talents. There were also mysterious payments from his privy purse to a Welsh woman of Pembrokeshire and he employed his old Welsh nurse to care for his second son, Prince Henry. Furthermore, when his half-uncle David Owen died, Henry offered payment for his funeral, a last tribute to a man he had knighted after the Bosworth campaign and of whom he never showed his embarrassment. It is indisputable that Henry remained a proud Welshman for the entirety of his days and it is high time this West Walian is acknowledged by his countrymen. Like this:

Question: In which Welsh castle was the future King Henry VII born?
Answer: PEMBROKE